Lent 1: Understanding the Architecture of Sin

Lent 1: Understanding the Architecture of Sin

Psalm 32

Matthew 4.1-11

Gen 2.15-17; 3.1-7

Rom 5.12-19

Prayer of Invocation

Father, Your  blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through

Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination

Good and loving Father, you have so made us that we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from your mouth. Give us a hunger for your Word, and in that food, satisfy our daily need, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

1. Genesis 2.15-17; 3.1-7
1. Lent is a season in which we seek to become better at paying attention--paying attention to God, His word, His work in our lives, and the ways in which we are distracted from God and live contrary to His will. 

1. In particular, during Lent we pay close attention to the way in which sin works in us (not that this is the only time we do this)--or perhaps better said, how and why we sin. 

2. It is hard to over interpret Genesis 2-3, our OT reading for this Sunday. It’s placement in the wider story of God interaction with the world has it functioning asan archtypal event an archetypal event: it shows us how we lost our immortality, how death, our archenemy, came into the world.  It unveils the architecture of sin. 

3. And here is the first thing that we must always remember, especially in the West: there is an agent who is actively working to separate us from God, distort God’s good gifts for humanity; there is an enemy seeking to destroy God’s world, God’s will, God’s good intentions for us. And so the enemy goes straight for the image bearers of God, God’s delight and treasure--humanity!

1. It is important to underscore that the first place the agent starts is by seeking to instill doubt in God’s word--His commands and promises; His provision of life and fullness
1. Did God actually say…? (3.1)
1. Any tree in the garden? Which was, of course, not said…
2. From the beginning, God has not left it up to us to know how to live in His world, how to enjoy His good gifts; He has graciously revealed it to us through stories, and through promises and commands.

2. The next move of the enemy is to contradict God’s word to us
1. You surely will not die (3.4)
1. This is not only a contradiction, it is a test. “Go ahead, see if God backs his word”

3. Next, we are challenged to doubt God’s character, His goodness (3.5-6)
1. “God is withholding something from you”; he is not telling you the whole story;

4. The core of this temptation is that we are being enticed to live independent of God and His provision; encouraging us to be wise apart from God; encouraging us to live independent of God’s promises and commands
1. “You can have all that God wants to give you WITHOUT God”, without having to depend upon someone

5. The result: shame (a feeling that we do not belong)
1. They seek to cover themselves

2. Romans 5.12-19
1. Paul draws on this story to show us how God has remedied our tragic predicament; we have chosen independence, which has led to death. But this is not the last word
2. Jesus is the gift that makes up for us taking the one thing that was not given to us; Jesus comes to heal us from our independence
1. The free gift is not like the trespass (5.15)
2. To be healed, we must resort to our original design--to be gift-receivers;  “receive” the gift (5.17)

3. Jesus recapitulates the archetypal event  of the world; 
1. Rather than choose independence and disobedience, he obeys (5.19)
2. he restores our communion with God (5.11)

3. Matt 4.1-11
1. This obedience of Jesus is captured in another archetypal event--Jesus’ wilderness testing
1. His  mission is to recapitulate our infidelity; to be what we were meant to be
2. Like Adam and Eve, Jesus was hungry--the opportunity for sin was present.
3. The temptation: use your privileged identity for yourself, for your own benefit; be independent of God
4. Jesus responds by showing dependence upon God and His word; he looked to the Father’s promises and commands!
5. He becomes our representative, our federal head
1. Sin was imputed to us through the disobedience of Adam
2. Righteousness is imputed to us through the faithfulness of Jesus--our faith is in His faithfulness

4. Psalm 32
1. Jesus gives us the courage and assurance to confess our sins (that weigh us down (32.3-5)
2. We no longer need to cover ourselves (32.7;Gen 3.7)
1. Naked come to thee for dress; rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee
3. We no longer need to hide from God; instead hide in Jesus (Gen 3.8)

Exhortation and Eucharist

1. It is food that reminds us of how death and sin came into the world; we rejected God’s gifts in exchange for independence; we neglected and disobeyed God’s promises and commands.

2. It is food that reminds of how God has restored us; it speaks to us words of life: repent and believe; receive the good gifts of God that bring immortality, life. 

3. Invitation: so come, repent--turn away from your independence, from doubting God’s promises, rebelling against His commands; believe by obeying what God says to us: through Jesus Christ, you belong; you have been forgiven; you have life
1. Come, pay attention to the ways that sin works in your life; reset; no need to take; time to receive

Benediction

Let us grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ